Improvement in compound telegraph-wire



W. E. RICE. CQMPOU ND TELEGRAPH-WIRE No.1 8 7,175 Patented Fe'b.6, 1877.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. RICE, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN COMPOUND TELEGRAPH-WIRE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 187,175, dated February6, 1877; application filed August 17, 1876.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. RICE, of the city and county of Worcesterand Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Compound -Wire for Telegraph Purposes; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming apart of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 represents a sectionof a piece of my compound wire for telegraph and other purposes as itappears at one stage of the process of its manufacture, as will behereafter more fully described, the drawing-die being shown in sectionon line A B, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 represents an end View of a central portionof the entire die shown in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of arrow 1,Fig. l; and Fig.3 represents, upon an enlarged scale,

a section of my improved compound wire, on

line C D, Fig. 1.

To enable those skilled in the art to which my invention belongs to makeand use the same, I will proceed to describe it more in detail.

In the drawings, the part marked A represents a solid copper wire, and Ba flat metal band formed or rolled by preference from steel wire. 0 is adrawing-die, which may be made in the usual manner, having a holethrough it, the rear of the opening being made conical or tapering, asshown at a, whereby when the parts A and B are drawn through the die,the metal band or ribbon B is turned and wrapped closely about thecopper wire A, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings, while atthe same time the copper wire is reduced in size by the action of thesolid drawing-die G, the iron or steel covering being also reduced, butnot in the same proportion as the soft copper center.

It will be understood that in the construction of the die 0 the openinga, is made larger than the sizeof the partsA and B, when first the bandA is wrapped about the copper part A; but that the opening at the otherside of the die is made smaller, so that when the parts A and B aredrawn through a reduction in size takes place.

After the compound wire has been reduced to the desired size it may begalvanized or tinned, thereby uniting the parts more closely together,and also rendering the same less subject to rust and corrosion fromexposure to the weather or other conditions inducing rust.

A very good article of compound wire for telegraph and other purposesmay be made by making the band B of iron; but a still better article canbe produced by making it from steel wire, and properly tempering it,either before or after it has been wrapped about the solid core.

The copper part affords a great .conducting body, while the iron orsteel part affords the necessary tensile strength, and those skilled inthe art to which my invention belongs will readily appreciate the greatpractical value of my invention, since the compound wire can be made ingreat length and of great uniformity of strength and conductingcapacity, while the latter function is not liable to be injured byhandling or rubbing of the wire, either in shipping or in use. Iam awarethat prior to my invention it had been proposed to roll down an ingotcomposed of copper and steel or iron. The objection to this mode offorming telegraph wires consists of the constant liability of the copperbeing stripped or torn from the iron or steel core, when the copper isupon the outside, while, when the relative position of the parts isreversed, then there is a liability of the hard metal, iron, or steel,being forced in so as to entirely separate, in places, the copper case,and so diflicult and uncertain, in a practical point of view, is thismode of forming a telegraph-wire, composed of copper and iron or steel,that it has never been carried into successful operation.

I am also aware that prior to my invention telegraph-wire had been madeby coiling about an iron or steel wire a band or thin strip of copper.This plan, too, has failed of giving satisfaction, for the reasons thatthe spiral coil of copper was liable to open or separate by reason ofthe swaying of the wires, and also by the abrasion of the wire, if ithappened to come in contact with any resisting object. Still, again, insplicing this form of wire, it

the copper coils were separated and forced out from the iron or steelcore.

' a longitudinal direction; consequently when was found that in twistingthe ends together i I do not wish to be understood as laying any claimto either of the above modes of construction, which are disclaimed. Bymy mode of making telegraph-wires, while obviat- 1 ing the objections tothe old modes referred to above, I, in addition, an able to manufactureboth parts separately, whereby they can be carefully tested andexamined, and rolled up into large coils before being combined together,and when combined together they are united, when stretched and drawn outtaut in put up for use the strain of the wire does not tend to separatethe copper from the steel or iron. Then, again, by my mode of operationthe wire can be manufactured very rapidly, and in a perfect and uniformmanner. Then, again, by my mode of making the wire the action of thehard iron or steel casing B upon the soft copper core or center A,during the drawing and reducing process, is to abrade, rub, or press ofifine or small particles or filaments of copper from the outer surface ofthe copper center, and-these particles are closely confined between thecenter core and the inner surface of the steel or iron casing, and formadditionalconducting medium.

Having described my improved compound wire for telegraph and for otherpurposes, what Iclaim therein as new, and of my invention, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- As a new manufacture, a compoundtelegraph-wire, made in the manner and by the process herein setforththat is to say, by incasing a copper core, with a longitudinal ironor steel ribbon or strip, and then wire-drawing the same, substantiallyas herein shown and described.

WILLIAM E. RICE. Witnesses:

THos. H. DODGE, EDWIN E. MOORE.

